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What's
On Offer?

The Limerick Regeneration Agencies are not purchasing
houses directly, but they are funding it.

In 2009, €16
million was given by the Regeneration Agencies to Limerick
City Council to buy out residents and depopulate regeneration
areas.

Limerick City Council LCC is giving homeowners 3 options,
which differ from area to area. Click on the image opposite
to see a sample letter from LCC to a resident in Ballinacurra
Weston.

Option
1: LCC will grant full ownership of a house to homeowners
who surrender their homes when the new houses have been
built by the Regeneration Agency.

Option
2: LCC will purchase your home at "the current
market rate" and you will not be rehoused by
LCC. This is what is known as the 'walk away' option.
The "market rate" is different from area
to area.

Option
3: LCC will purchase a house for up to €200,000
and rent it to you. You will be paid €30,000 - €40,000
for surrendering your home back to LCC. Homeowners are
turned into tenants.

The
different prices that are being offered for peoples homes
has nothing to do with the current "market rate"
and all to do with depopulation.

For
example, it has been claimed that the houses in St. Mary's
Park are "past their sell by date" and
therefore of no value, yet people are being offered up
to €100,000 to surrender their homes. On the other
hand, homeownwers in Moyross are being offered considerably
less for their homes, which are some of the best built
in Ireland.

CEO
of the Regeneration Agencies, Mr. Brendan Kenny has described
St. Mary's Park as "the prize, the prime piece
of real estate in Limerick", therefore the monetary
incentive to leave is greater in St. Mary's Park than
in other areas, especially as the majority in St. Mary's
Park want to stay and are not desperate to leave.

Whereas,
when one homeowner in Moyross, who has to endure ongoing
anti-social behaviour and was offered €40,000 for
his home, asked Mr.Kenny, "What can I get for
that, a second hand mobile home?" , he was told
he was "living in a location similar to Baghdad"
and that he was "lucky to be getting anything"!

However,
what's on offer is not what you're entitled to. You are
entitled to like for like.